Hua Chongyang remained silent for a moment, then put down his sword:
"I understand. Young Master Cheng, you should go back now. There are many people and suspicious eyes outside, please be careful."
Cheng Sheng was slightly taken aback, and lowered his voice:
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm telling you all this? Aren't you afraid I'm lying to you?"
Hua Chongyang glanced at him and smiled:
"True sincerity is always apparent."
"What's the meaning?"
Hua Chongyang glanced at him, then turned his face away and said softly:
"Because I know what it feels like to be truly loved by someone. That can't be faked. I can't express my gratitude enough. I can only ask Young Master Cheng Sheng to forgive Chongyang for having no way to repay this kindness."
Cheng Sheng paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around with a wry smile, only to turn back again at the door:
"I don't know why. The moment I saw you at the martial arts tournament, I could never forget you."
He stood at the doorway, his expression both helpless and gentle:
"I never believed in love at first sight before. That's when I realized that such a thing does exist."
Hua Chongyang originally thought that with Lan Wuxie absent and everyone outside knowing that her relationship with Situ Yebai was purely charades—Situ Yebai wanted to use the brothel's power to eliminate Lan Wuxie, and Hua Chongyang had stolen Lan Wuxie's Yellow Spring Martial Arts Manual to find a backer—she assumed that Yanzu Valley would probably think that if they attacked the brothel, Situ Yebai wouldn't protect them much.
In any case, as long as Lan Wuxie is not around, Yanzu Valley will no longer have anything to worry about.
But plans often go awry.
Lan Cao said that Lan Wuxie had gone to Sichuan that day, so Hua Chongyang assumed that he would not be able to return that night. Therefore, guests gathered downstairs that evening. When Situ Yebai appeared at her door in a red robe, ready to knock and welcome her, Lan Wuxie suddenly appeared downstairs, throwing her into a panic.
The once bustling hall suddenly became as quiet as still water.
Lan Wuxie entered the hall alone, glanced at the large red double happiness character on the north side, then walked silently to an empty seat for the main guest and sat down.
Hua Chongyang stood upstairs, watching through the curtain with trepidation.
This was the first time she had ever seen Lan Wuxie dressed in white.
Lan Wuxie, who is usually dressed in fine clothes, was wearing a snow-white robe tonight, with a white jade crown on her head and a few strands of black hair hanging down from her forehead. With her black hair and white clothes, she moved with an ethereal grace, like a fairy.
Hua Chongyang's face turned deathly pale.
When the auspicious time arrives, the newlyweds come downstairs.
Hua Chongyang wore only a wedding robe and a gold hairpin, without a veil, and walked behind Situ Yebai. As soon as the two appeared on the stairs, she noticed that Lan Wuxie looked up at her but did not move.
Liu Da held a red square carved mahogany box in his hands and placed it on the table under the large red double happiness character.
Almost everyone's eyes were focused on the wooden box.
Hua Chongyang remained calm and glanced at Cheng Sheng, Qing Ling, and Xing Yanshui standing at the back of the crowd.
She followed Situ Yebai quietly to the large red "double happiness" character in the hall. Without a veil, she clearly saw the expression in Situ Yebai's eyes—an undeniable, gentle tenderness. He sighed softly, as if drunk, as he looked at her.
"……rose."
The heartfelt voice sent a chill down Hua Chongyang's spine.
Whenever Xie Qiangwei is mentioned, Situ Yebai seems to drift off into a daze.
She cleared her throat and lowered her voice:
"Your Highness, regarding our agreement—"
Situ Yebai regained his composure, his gaze cleared, and he turned around with a slight smile:
"Someone come here."
Immediately, someone got up and went to the back room. A moment later, they appeared carrying a swaddled baby.
A murmur rippled through the hall.
Hua Chongyang managed to restrain himself from rushing over, and involuntarily looked at Lan Wuxie.
He sat in the main chair, his eyes half-closed, as if he hadn't seen or heard anything. The guard carrying the child walked directly to Lan Wuxie:
"Master Lan, your son is safe and sound. I entrust him to you."
The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into a clamor; amidst the uproar, Lan Wuxie didn't even raise his head and let out a soft hum:
"How could my child be in the hands of someone else?"
Hua Chongyang's expression changed immediately.
What does he mean by that?
Situ Yebai, who was standing to the side, also raised an eyebrow.
In the oppressive silence, the baby in the swaddling clothes suddenly burst into tears.
Lan Wuxie slowly stood up, raised her hand to part the corner of the swaddling clothes to take a look, and her gaze suddenly softened:
"My Fu Shun is much more obedient than him."
Hua Chongyang was stunned.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone rushed in through the door:
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
The newcomer, disregarding propriety, approached Situ Yebai and whispered a few words in his ear. Situ Yebai's smile vanished instantly. A moment later, several more people entered the hall and spoke with some guests. Soon, the news spread:
"Leader Bo was supposed to attend the ceremony, but unexpectedly, the villa at Nan Chu Mountain Villa was attacked."
Someone immediately wanted to leave.
Unexpectedly, Lan Wuxie suddenly spoke up at this moment:
"Who's leaving?"
The crowd fell silent instantly.
"Are you going to help, or to watch the show?" Lan Wuxie slightly raised his eyes, his long eyebrows arching towards his forehead. "Those who aid the wicked will be killed without mercy."
No one understood what was going on; all they knew was that the people from Lan Ying Palace were probably already in a bloodthirsty frenzy at the Southern Chu Manor's villa. Lan Wuxie sat in a chair, slowly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked up at Situ Yebai:
"Won't Prince Ningjing plead for Leader Bo?"
"Plead for mercy? What's there to say?" Situ Yebai, dressed in red, calmly lowered his eyes and straightened the red ribbon hanging in front of him. "A traitor like you deserves this end. Back then, when your whole body wasn't found, Shu Nanfeng knew he would end up like this."
Shu Nanfeng?
Someone in the crowd exclaimed in a low voice:
"Wasn't Shu Nanfeng the tutor who taught Shangguan Rongzhi back then? He and the Crown Prince were killed en route during their escape—could it be that Bo Feng, the Alliance Leader, is—"
No one answered. After a moment, Lan Wuxie slowly said:
"A light breeze, that is, a gentle southerly wind."
To protect her son, Princess Guole secretly hid several batches of priceless treasures in different locations. Then, on her deathbed, she entrusted her son, Shangguan Rongzhi, to Grand Tutor Shu Nanfeng. Before her death, Princess Guole forced Situ Yebai to swear an oath not to kill Shangguan Rongzhi, allowing him to live out his days peacefully in his fiefdom. However, Situ Yebai ultimately could not tolerate the son of his enemy—especially since Princess Guole's illness stemmed from giving birth to Shangguan Rongzhi. Overwhelmed with grief while guarding Princess Guole's body, Situ Yebai finally ordered the pursuit and killing of Shangguan Rongzhi on his way to his fiefdom.
At this time, Shu Nanfeng had already fled with Shangguan.
Unfortunately, Shu Nanfeng, who later became Bo Feng, betrayed Shangguan Rongzhi by stealing the treasure key and exposing his actions to Situ Yebai. Shangguan and his guards all fell off a cliff and perished during the pursuit.
The atmosphere in the hall was heavy, almost explosive. In the oppressive silence, Lan Wuxie raised her hand and lifted the veil from the baby's head again, letting out a soft sigh:
"The poor child."
Before the words were finished, a person entered through the door, glanced around, no longer caring about the stares of others, and weakly announced:
"Your Highness, Alliance Leader... Alliance Leader Bo... just now, the Southern Chu Manor... was wiped out."
82. Zu Xian
Hua Chongyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The news came quickly, but it might not be bad news. The people present were a mixed bag, and with Bo Feng dead, the sects affiliated with Nan Chu Manor would not dare to easily attack Lan Ying Palace.
Standing not far away, Liu Da gave Hua Chongyang a wink, his expression quite helpless.
The situation was far more serious than Hua Chongyang, Liu Da, and Chu San had anticipated. With Lan Wuxie's unexpected appearance and the massacre of the Nan Chu Manor, they had no idea what to do next.
Hua Chongyang could only give Liu Da a look, signaling him to calm down; but as soon as Liu Da turned around, two figures suddenly jumped out from behind Lan Wuxie at the same time. One raised his sword and stabbed at Lan Wuxie, while the other leaped straight at Situ Yebai and Hua Chongyang.
Things happened too suddenly.
A moment later, Hua Chongyang drew his dagger and rushed towards the guard holding the child. Lan Wuxie sidestepped the assassin behind him, and Situ Yebai leaped forward to stop Hua Chongyang. Liu Da and Chu San, who had come to their senses, gave an order, and a dozen or so masked assassins in gray veils rushed out from behind the double happiness red curtain and pounced on the second figure.
Another group of men in black rushed in through the door and began slashing wildly with their swords. Almost at the same time, another group of Lan Ying Palace disciples dressed in blue entered, numbering in the dozens.
At least ten people from different sects rushed out from the crowd that was originally watching the ceremony and attacked Situ Yebai's guards.
Disciples of Lanying Palace, people from Yanzu Valley, Situ Yebai's guards, and other sects who came to witness the ceremony were all fighting for their own safety in the crowd. Originally, Hua Chongyang and Liu Da had arranged for more than a dozen people to take advantage of the wedding ceremony to attack Situ Yebai, but it turned out that these dozen people were not enough to control the situation.
The scene descended into chaos.
Hua Chongyang didn't care about anything else. He snatched a sword from someone and cut down a group of people blocking his way. He approached the guards, lifted the swaddling clothes, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the baby.
It was indeed not Fu Shun.
Situ Yebai arrived almost simultaneously, reaching out to grab Hua Chongyang's waist, but was forcefully pushed away by Lan Wuxie's palm strike. He dodged to the side, and Hua Chongyang slipped aside just in time. Lan Wuxie followed up, repelling a black-clad man who had launched a sneak attack with a single palm strike.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Before Situ Yebai, who was just a step too late, could even get close to her, he was surrounded by several gray-masked men and a fight broke out.
Hua Chongyang didn't care about anything else and turned to shout at Lan Wuxie:
"Where is Fu Shun?"
"With the orchid tree watching over things, nothing will happen."
As Lan Wuxie replied, he pulled her aside to avoid the attack from the man in black. Before he could say anything more, the man who had initially raised his sword to stab him turned around and attacked again.
Only then did Hua Chongyang realize who it was.
It was Qing Ling!
She brandished her sword, her expression almost ferocious, wildly slashing and stabbing at Lan Wuxie. Her brute force forced Lan Wuxie into a corner. Lan Wuxie leaped onto the second floor, and she relentlessly pursued him, hacking and shouting as she went:
"Lan Wuxie, I'm going to kill you!"
Lan Wuxie only dodged and didn't retreat. The two entangled themselves all the way to the third-floor railing, using the railing to leap and evade. After circling the entire third floor, Qing Ling's speed noticeably slowed down, and she grabbed a railing, panting.